1 piece vs 2 piece driveshafts

[u3b3rg33k]

Every time I drop my heatshield, I see a torn to shit CSB surround.

So screw the CSB. if you think there's more wobble on a one piece, how much wobble is there on an unsupported 2 piece? no thank you.

I'm gonna do this:

http://www.driveshaftshop.com/import-driveshafts/bmw/bmw-e30-1986-92-1-piece-chromoly-driveshaft

unless someone screams "NO! not that brand!"

[lbreevesii]

I'm looking at getting a 1 piece from the drive shaft shop(which happens to be local to me). Aluminum guibo replacement, larger replaceable U joints. Don't have to worry about a failing guibo or csb. All in all I think its worth it.

[Wanganstyle]

My RX7 turbo 88 and 93 Twin turbo both had 1 piece Driveshafts; Mazda OEM.
I did a manual transmission replacement on my Rx7 Vert once, did not have to remove the diff.

1 piece driveshaft never had any failures or nvh or etc..... why? OEM.
even the rotary engine was pretty damm reliable. why? It loved me.

All nissan 350z's have Carbon fiber/plastic reinforced 1 piece driveshafts. Nissan OEM 1 piece Carbon fiber / plastic Driveshaft; standard spec on every 350z.

None of my Z friends have broken or had issues with one of those. The rest of the Z and VQ35 however......


In my 2 piece driveshaft experience:

Subaru: killed 1 centre bearing.
Toyota: Killed one Guibo. those buggers cost like 2x as much as the BMW units.
Bmw: killed 2 center bearings, 4 guibos to smithereens.

in 3 years of 1 piece driveshaft ownership I had 0 driveshaft issues.

these are all OEM applications though, if aftermarket who knows!!

[LJ851]

For a given length driveshaft, a 2 piece one can be much smaller in diameter and still have a high enough critical speed.

[Sagaris]

Sag, you mention a 2pc can handle more torque? I know of PLENTY of 1000hp+ cars running 1 pc.
.

yes a 2 piece drive shaft can handle more torque than a 1 piece shaft of the same diameter, wall thickness, and material. I made the statement for comparison purposes.

I myself am a fan of a lightweight single piece shaft but I haven't run the calculations to see what would fit, if it would vibrate itself to pieces, and how much weight savings there would be

[xwill112x]

you could have an aluminum one made a feel a huge improvment..mustang guys do it all the time.

[Dj Buttchug]

one piece drive shaft is better. less parts, less joints means less weight. It wont make your diff wear faster. they work well and are usually very strong.

[DTM190]

I have one in my V8 E30 in my sig.

Downside is if I ever have to remove gearbox I will need to pull the diff out, or at least move it back, big deal. This is because of having a Toyota gearbox with a slip yoke and not a guido (I know its guibo, I call them guidos) and not being angle to compress the shaft like the E30 2pc.

Sag, you mention a 2pc can handle more torque? I know of PLENTY of 1000hp+ cars running 1 pc.

If they are
1. made from a decent thickness and diameter
2. built with decent unis
3. with pinion angle sorted
4. balanced
failure is not likely.

In my experience i have had more probs putting decent power through 2pc, why i went 1pc in that car.

I saw it as having less issues as the gearbox to diff angle doesnt change like it does in cars with live axle rear ends.

Just my opinion and no dramas at all with mine.

[Sagaris]

A one-piece drive shaft eliminates the center support bearing and would increase the load on the differential input bearings and the transmission output bearings which could increase their wear rate.

A two-piece is beneficial for off-roaders since the front shaft remains horizontal and the rear shaft is the one that runs the risk of hitting rocks

There is more torsional deflection (twist) in a one-piece drive shaft. Out of two similarly spec'd shafts, the two-piece shaft can handle more torque. A one-piece drive shaft is more likely to hit its critical speed which causes it to fail catastrophically.

Those are just the theoretical problems that you may encounter. You just might install a one-piece drive shaft on your car and have absolutely no issues.

[dj01540i6sp]

Try it, Give us feed back! Shouldn't be hard for a Drive shaft Welding and Balancing shop to do this. GL

[KenC]

Installing a one-piece would be difficult, no?

[Bearmw]

Wondering also. Ford Rangers used both at different times.

[Doughnut]

Bump.

I'm interested aswell.

[Jean]

Pros/Cons of each?

Under what specific conditions is one better than the other?

Thanks